Regenerative metallurgical furnace



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. G. REW. REGENERATIVE METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

No. 472,076. Paten ed Apr. 5, 1892.

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(No Model.) .2 Sheets8heet 2. H. C. RBW.

RFGBNBRATIVE METALLURGICAL FURNACE. No. 472,076. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

awe/aged W) NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. REW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REG EN ERATIVE METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 472,076, dated April 5, 1892. Application filed March 19, 1889. Serial No. 303,911. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. REW,aoitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regenerative Metallurgical Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in regenerative metallurgical furnaces for use in foundries and for other purposes, as hereinafter specified.

The objects of my improvement are, first, to provide a reversible regenerative furnace in which metals can be melted, by the use of entirely-combustible gases of high heating power, such as natural gas, water-gas, or carbureted or enriched water-gas; second, to provide a novel apparatus in which iron can first be melted and then therein converted into steel by applying an air-blast; third, in which the heatgenerated by applying an air-blast to the molten metal may be stored in regenerators for subsequent use in heating incoming air, and, fourth, in which deoxidized ores may be melted and the slag drawn off and the metal (if iron) then be converted into steel before it is drawn from the apparatus.

Having thus described the nature and the objects of my improvement, I will now describe it more particularly by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 represents a transverse vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section through the upper melting-chamber on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 a horizontal section through the lower regenerators on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Similar letters apply to like parts in all of the figures.

A 0 indicate two similar chambers loosely filled with refractory material and provided with air-inlets a 0.

Outlets from the furnace for products of combustion are shown at a 0 B denotes the combustion or melting chamher, and D D the charging-inlets.

b 12 indicate valved gas-supply pipes, b a slag-hole, and b a tap-hole for metal.

b and 19 indicate valved outlets from the melting-chamber for products of combustion,

her for heated air. 7

II denotes a door opening into the combustion-chamber, and G a stack or chimney.

E denotes an air supply and conduit or pipe, and e e air-inlets.

F denotes a damper for directing air into pipe or conduit or or cat will, and F a damper for directing products of combustion either into a or '0 The operation of the apparatus is preferably as follows: A fire is first started at the base of the chimney or stack G, Figs. 3 and 4,

which creates a draft through the furnace. Metal is charged into the melting-chamber through. the chutes D D upon the inclined hearth in the chamber B. Air is admitted into the base of one of the regenerators, as A, through air-inlet a, controlled by valve F, and passes throughthe regenerator and up into the melting-chamber through the inlet 0,, its valve being open. Gas is then admitted through pipe I) and ignited. Intense combustion ensues and the hot products flow through the length of the chamber and pass down into the lower regenerator 0 through 12 the valve being open to admit their passage. They then flow through this chamber toward the chimney or stack through the outlet 0 the valve F being open, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. This described movementof air, gas, and products is indicated by the arrows in chambers A, B, and 0, Figs. 3 and 4. WVhen the chamber C has been sufficiently heated, the valve F in the inlet a for air and the valve F in the outlet (3 for products of combustion are changed or reversed, so as to simultaneously close the air-inlet a and the outlet 0 for products and open the air-inlet c and the outlet a for products. (See dotted lines in Fig. 3.)

This admits air to the base of the heated regenerator 0. At the same time the valves a and b in the melting-chamber B are closed and the valves 0 and b opened, while the gasvalve in pipe I; is closed and the gas-valve in pipe b is opened. Preferably all the valves controlling the operation pf the furnace are and a c valved inlets to the melting-cham- IOC so connected that by the reversing of a single lever the proper inlets for air and gas and the proper outlets for heated products of combustion may be simultaneously opened and the others closed. It will be seen that the burning gases flow through the melting-chamber always substantially in the same direction and that they are directly applied to the melting of the metals on the inclined hearth. The molten metal flows into the basin or depression at the lowest part of the melting chamber and is periodically withdrawn at the tap-hole I), placed at either or both sides of the furnace. The condition of the furnace may be observed by opening the sliding door H, Fig. 3.

hen deoxidized ores are melted, the slag is first drawn at the tap-hole Then it is desired to convert molten iron into steel, an air-blast is admitted at E, Fig. 1, which connects by a flue with all of the inlets e c, Fig. 3, in the base of the meltingchamber. The highly-heated .gases resulting therefrom pass through the regenerators, leaving their heat in the refractory material,

which is then utilized in heating air to be ad mitted to the furnace.

The regenerators A C are preferably constructed below the melting-chamber in order to better maintain the heat in the base of the melting-chamber and to prevent the chilling of the metal.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details in the construction and operation of the apparatus as specified, as they may be variously modified without departing from the nature of my invention-as, for instance, the inlets for air and outlets for products of combustion may each be controlled by separate valves, a blower may be used, if desired, to overcome the friction of the air passing through the regenerators, doors or inlets may be constructed in the sides of the furnace for charging metal, the chutes or inlets D D may be enlarged and extended higher for the purpose of either primarily heating the metals or of deoxidizing ores by hot gases by causing the oxidizing gases to pass up therethrough or otherwise,

the melting-chamber may be narrowed in its central or other parts for the purpose of concentrating the flames or directing them in varying lines, and the gas may be admitted in various parts of the chamber for the purpose of causing combustion at any desired part thereof, none of these modifications being substantially inconsistent with the described construction and operation of the furnace.

I am aware that a furnace using solid fuel and provided with a hearth, air-regenerators, and valves and having a construction and arrangement whereby the regenerators could be used alternately to heat air and wherein such air was compelled to move back and forth under or at the sides of the hearth and enter it underneath the heated gaseous products from the fuel in the combustion-charm ber has been proposed, and I do not broadly claim furnaces of this character. The fur naces above indicated are not adapted to use natural gas or gas composed of carbonic oxide and hydrogen, a gas high in carbon, and,further, they supply only partially-combustible hot gaseous products above the air, which latter, being comparatively cool and heavy, willnot in such an arrangement mingle with the gas with suflicient speed and completeness for the best results. By my arrangement the comparatively heavy air is supplied above an entirely-coinbustible gas and falls down and upon and through it, and the mingled air and gas are compelled to rise to exits situated above the gas-inlet, whereby their thorough mixture and complete combustion can be secured. I

I am also aware that it has been proposed to connect a movable Bessemer converter with regenerators during the blow that the Waste gases may heat the same alternately, and I do not claim combinations of this character, as my converting-chamber is not movable, but stationary.

Ileretofore a metallurgic furnace has been provided with regenerators beneath the melting-chamber, an air conduit or chamber being interposed, and with reversing-valves grouped together in the plane of the air-conduit between the regenerators and the melting-chamber, the construction being such that air and waste products could be made to pass alternately through the regenerators and always in one direction, gases also passing in one direction through said melting-chamber, and such furnace is not of my invention; nor is a burner in which the gas-inlet is below the air-inlet, broadly, of my invention.

The present improvement relates to the special arrangement of parts whereby in a furnace of the general character indicated air is introduced above the gas and whereby a return-air flue between the melting-chamber and regenerators is avoided, the construction of the furnace thereby being simplified and its efliciency increased.

Having thus described my improved apparatus, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The combination of the regenerators A 0, having the air-inlets a c and the outlets a c for products of combustion, and the melting-chamber 13, provided with a gas-supply pipe adapted to supply natural gas or carbonic oxide and hydrogen gas, (or both mixed,) the three chambers being connected by the valved fines a c b N, the valves of said fines b I) being located one at each corner of the furnace, whereby the burning gases are directed diagonally and alternately in different directions across and over the center of the melting-chamber, and the communication of the air-inlet flues with the melting-chamber being above or near the inlet of the gas-pipe, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the stationary melt- IIO ing-chamber B, having the chimney G and the fines E e e 6, adapted to admit air to the base of the molten metal, with the regenerators A 0, having air-inlets o a and gas-exits 0 a and the valved flues 12 b the valves of said latter flues being located one at each corner of the furnace, whereby the burning gases are directed diagonally and alternately in different directions across and over the center of the melting-chamber and whereby iron may be melted and converted into steel and the heat thereby generated may be stored in regenerators, substantially as and in the manner described.

3. The combination of the regenerators A 0, having the inlets a c for air and the outlets a c for products of combustion, with the melting-chamber B, having the valved inlets a c for heated air, inlets b b for gas, the airinlets being above the gas-inlets, inlets E e e for charging air, inlets D D for metal or ore, and. flues and valved flues b b for products of combustion, the valves for said flues being located one at each corner of the furnace, whereby the burning gases are directed d1- agonally and alternately in difierent directions across and over'the center of the melting-chamber, and all combined substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY REW. 

